Method of producing composite photographs



June l2, 1928. 1,673,019

RT J. POMEROY METHOD OF PRODUCING COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPHS Filed Dec. 19,1925 CAMERA, .Saale-cr,

/0 LENS.

` /5 Leng Patented June 12, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

ROY J'. POMEROY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 6F ONE-HALF TO FA-MOUS PLAYERS-LASKY CORPORATION, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A. COR--FORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF PRODUCING COMPOSITE PHOTOGRPHS.

Application filed- December 19, 1925. Serial` No. 76,423'.

VThis invention has to do'with the art of producing composite picturesby photographythat` is, of producing photographically a picture whichcontains, for instance, a subject apparently set in a scene or before abackground in which the subject is not actually set at the time theoriginal photograph was taken. In motion picture and other photographyit is at times highly desirable that a subject be represented inconnection with a scene or background of which` a picture has beenindependently taken. Various methods have been devised for the making ofsuch composite pictures, most of them involving in some manner or otherwhat is known as a double exposure-that is, the exposure of aphotographic lilin at one time to the subject or a photograph thereofand at another time to the desired background or a photograph thereof.ln some instances in the prior Aart this double exposure, so-called, hasbeen elfected vby successive direct exposures of a tilm to the subjectand background, while in other methods such double exposure has involvedsuccessive printing exposures of a photographic lilm to previously takenphotographs of the subject and background.

The method contemplated by the present invention is unlike any of theprior methods of which l am aware, primarily in the fact that thepresent method involves but a single exposure ofa linal lm, thatexposure being simultaneously made to' both the subject and the desiredsurrounding scene or background. Generally speaking, this` is done bylirst taking a suitable photograph of the desired scene or backgroundand then producing from that photograph in any suitable manner atransparency that is as nearly as may be of a single elementarycolor-that is as clearly transparent throughout to light of that coloras'may be practicable. AForv instance, the transparency iswhat may betermed a blue dyeirnage positive, whose' transparency to blue light isnearly or quite uniform, but whose transparency to minus-blue lightvaries in accordance with the heaviness or lightness of the blue pigmentof which the blue transparency is composed.

In making an exposure of a final negative this blue dye-image is placedin a focal v.arrangement b plane so that its image is focusediupon thefinal. negative; and the subject or action is also .focused upon thefinal negative, illuminated by blue light. This blue light passesvthrough the blue transparent. positive without being interfered withthereby; but by` use of a'red (minus blue) curtain behind the subject oraction, all portions of the blue transparency except those parts throughwhich the light from the action passes, are illuminated only by redlight. The red light passes through theblue transparency not uniformlyover its whole surface, but in such a manner,A as, in eiect,-totransform the blue transparent positive into a black and white positive;and the rays of red light thus passing through the blue transparen-cycast upon the linal negative an image of the scene depicted in thetransparency.

How all this is done in detail will be best understood from thefollowings'pecitic description of a preferred method; and although thispreferred method is explained merely as illustrative of the inventionand is not to be considered a limitation thereon, l

the invention itself will be best understood from av consideration ofsuch specific procedure. To aid the following specific description, Irefer to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a diagramrepresenting a typical which the method may be carried into e ect;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic showing of one form of camera apparatus; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic showing of another arrangement of cameraapparatus.

As will readily be understood from a consideration of the underlyingfeatures of thisA method, .various changes and modifications may beeected Without departing from the underlying principles. Thus, at theout- Asis set, I may state that the color used in `these 'i processesfor illumination of the subject and 35 withk alkyl derivativesofaniline.

is made upon a single plate, preferablywof" large size, and in theordinary manner. From this negative a positive of similar size" is made;but for the purpose ofjthis positive l employ a bichromated gelatin soas to get what is known as a bichromated gelatin image; and in printingthe positivefrom the negative it is preferred to print through theCelluloid or other base so that the "outer face of the bichromatedgelatin remains comparatively soft to be dissolved away by a warm waterwash and thus produce the gelatin relief, as well known. Hav ingobtained this gelatin positive, it is next dyed with a suitable dye, andfor this pur'- pose l have found that a mixture of naphthol green andwhat' is known as patent blue,

30 is suitable. Naphthol-green is a ferrous-sodium salt ofnitroso-B-monosulphuric acid; and patent blue is a greenish-blue dyemade by sulphonating and oxidizing the result of condensation ofm-hydroxylbenzaldehyde This mixed dye obtains a good blue color, rendersthe gelatin image'very transparent, and of f almost uniform transparencyto blue over the whole surface of the positive. The positive `l 4o asthus prepared has a very transparent blue-y ness over itswhole surface,the depth of the blueness varying and by that variation i showin theimage. of the background or scene t at was originally taken. If this y15positive be held to the light with a blue filter fr interposed, thedyeimage substantially disappears. 'However the blue color inthe' I Y,deeper or `heavier blue parts is transparent l o and clear. Throughthese deeper blue parts 50. `substantially nothing but pure blue lightcan pass, While through the lighter blue parts a :proportionately largeramount of white light may pass. If this transparent positive be A heldup to the light'witha red (or substan# tially minus-blue) -lilterbehindit, the transI t parent blue positive is, in appearance,inimediately transformed into a black and ,white positive, substantiallythe same in appearance as would be an ordinary black and white positivetaken from the original nega.-

tive and illuminated with red light. This alppearance is, ofcourse',ldue to the fact that t rough the heavier blue arts only blue flight canpass, and the red lter passes substantially no blue light at all.l Inthe lighter parts the red light that passes through the lter can alsopass at least partially through the thin blue dye.

This comparatively large blue transparent positive is placed in anoptical system in such a manner that it -will be located in a focalplane. For instance, as shown in Fig. 2, there is a lens 10 which castsan image of the subject directly upon the plane'in which the bluetransparency 11 is located. Behind this blue transparency there mayconveniently be a collector lens 12; and the lens 13, which correspondsto the ordinary motion picture camera lens, is focused upon the bluetransparency and therefore also upon the image thrown by lens 10 uponit. Lens 13 is focused on the final negative 14 which, in thisparticular case, is illustrated as a motion picture film. lt will beunderstood that the methods here described are just as applicable tostill photography asto motion pictures; but I describe them with motionpictures in mind. as that art demands the production'of compositepictures more than.

background as being illuminated by reliecas is indicated at 17. I haveindicated the ,A

tion; it will readily be understood that the l background might readilybe a light trans-v The function of the elemissive element. ment 16 ismerely, as will be seen, to illumiso far as the process is concerned,this red background is simply a source of uniformly distributed redlight. Y

The subject 15 (usually in motion pictures nate the blue transparencywith red lighta subject including things or persons in motion) isilluminated with blue light from a suitable source, as indicated at 18,the lights beingA so arranged that no red light falls on the subject andno blue light falls on the background. 1

Blue light from `the subject will ,pass through the blue transparency 11substanJ tially equally in all partsof that transparency, due tov itsuniform. `transparency to the subject, of course, interceptsall redlight from the background directly behind-the subject. `The result isthat, as to the subject, the final negative takes an image of thesubject uninterfered with bythe blue transparency or by the red lightcoming fromv the background..

At the same time, the red light from the background illuminates allparts of the transparency ll not occupied by the 'image of the subject;and. this illumination by red light transforms that blue transparency,in effect, into a black and white positive, as I have expained before.Consequently lens 13, ftaking red light from the blue transparency,in-all parts except that occupied by the image of the subject, castsupon final negative 14 a complete image of all the background or scenesurrounding the subject. AAll this takes place smiultaneously at asingle exposure, so that final negative 14 has cast uponit an image ofthe subject, in blue light, surrounded by an image of the background orscene 1n red light. The final negative thus receives the desiredcomposite picture and upon development it shows that f composite picturejust as if the subject had been taken in the .ordinary manner whileactually in the depicted scene.

ln order to obtain proper balance between the subject and thesurrounding background in the final negative it is, of course, desirableto use a panchromat'ic film, or even one that has been relativelysensitized to red. And then the proper balance may be obtained byrelatively increasing or decreasing the intenysity1 of the illuminationsupon the subject and background. By thus controlling the intcnsitles ofillunnnatlon and, therefore, the alctinic values of the nuages thrown mdifferent colored lightsion the final negative,

the finally developed picture in that negative 'may bemade to be wellbalanced.

f the blue' positive in any case is not per# fectly transparent to bluelight (shows a slightv image when illuminated with blue light), then a.yellow transparent corresponding negative of selected 'color and tonemay be' made and registered with the blue transparent positive. Such ayellow transparent negative will compensate for ythe lack I ent negativemay be made by a process sim# of perfect. transparency in the blue. 1tadds opacity to the light. blueportions as regards blue light, and itwill also transmit red light -in those portions. ySuch a yellowtransparilar to thatl by which the blue transparent positive is made.suitable dyes being used, as is. well understood in the art. The factthat the yellow. transparency is a negative causes it to add opacity tothe thinner parts of the blue positive wit-hout adding any substantialamount of opacity to the heavierA parts of the blue positive. Beingof aselected yellowxcolor, and thus being capable of partially passing bothred and blue light, it will be seen that it will add to the moretransparent blue portions just the slight additional opacity to bluethat is desired; and at the same time it will change the transparency tored light in those lighter portions but slightly.

Where the background or scene is one containing moving objects, such forinstance as wind-blown trees, or a sea, the original neg-.1- tive of thebackground scene may be made in the ordinary manner in a motion picturecamera and be made of standard size. From this original negative thecorresponding motion lpicture positive is made on a bichromated gelatinfilm to get thereon the bichromated gelatin image as before described,and then this positive is dyed as before stated. Then when the finalnegative 14 is exposed to the subject or action before the coloredbackground, this blue transparent positive ll'd (see Fig. 3) is simplyrun in an ordinary camera behind its lens 13 and iny front of finalnegative 14. The final result is the same as before described.

Or, if it is desired vto show the action or subject before what isordinarily known as a moving background (a background that moves behindthe subject in panoramic effect for instance), the desired backgroundscene may be taken 'in large size on a long panoramic strip; and afterthe blue transparent positive has been made, that positive may be placedin position as shown at 11`in Fig. Q and moved lengthwise at a constantspeed through the apparatus during the time of exposure. lThe finaleffect, in that case` would be just as if the subject. or action hadbeen taken before the moving panoramic background.

4In the processes hereinbefore described it will be seen that onecomponent (the action object in this case) is illuminated with light ofa selected color, that the other component (the background positive inthis case) is illuminated with light oi' a relatively minus color; thatthe two components are so arranged that one component (the action objectin this case) blocks out or intercepts the light of the other component(the background positive);. and thatdifferent parts of the finalnegative are selectively exposed to the lights from the respectivecomponents,4 or to optical images. of the twocomponents, in the tworespectively colored lights.

In the particular methodlherein described, it is the. color of thebackground positive, (the blue transparency) that, in conjunction withthe two selected light colors, causes selective exposure of differentparts of the final negative exclusively tothe two components. Theblocking out or interception of the light of one'component isaccomplished by what may be termed optical superposition of the twocomponents; that is, the two components are, either inthe form of Fig. 2or specific methods.'

sitive to both said colors.

2. The method" of producinga composite- Fig. (.3, arranged on the sameoptical axis graph or4^ other representation or image of both componentsmay be used in the processf As between the present application and saidco-pending applications the broad fsubject matter common to all thespeciiic'methods is herein claimed, as Well as the specific methodherein described; and the said companion applications carry claimscovering their claim.: j v v f L The method of producing a 'compositephotograph, thatV includes making a transparent image of'one of thecomponents in a suitable color, illuminating another component withlight of substantiallythe color of said transparent image, illuminatingthe remainder of the transparent image, excepting that part throughwhich the second comlponent is being photographed, withlight of asubstantially complementary color, and

exposing a fresh actinicsurface tothe second mentioned componentthroughthe transparent nuage said actin-1c surface belng senphotograph, thatincludes making a transparent image of one o f the components kin `asuitable color, placing said transparent colored image in a focal planeof a camera, illuminating another compnentf'with 'light of substantiallythe color of the transparent image, and exposingafresh. actinicsurfacebehind the transparent colored image .to the Y luminating thesecond mentioned component,

other component arranged before 'a background emitting lightsubstantially comple-y mentary in color to that of the transparentimage, said. actinic surface being sensitive to botlrsaid colors.

,3. The methodof producing'a composite negative, that includes making ablue transparent positive off one component, placing `said positive inafocal plane of a camera before-a fresh negative, sensitive -both to blueand tominus-blue light, focusing the camera on the other componentarranged before a back-ground emitting minus-blue light, il-

with blue-light, and exposing.

` 4. The method of producing a composite negative, thatincludes making ablue transparent positive of one component,iplacing said positive in afocal plane of a camera before a fresh negative sensitiye'to both'blueland minus-bluelight, f ocusing the camera on the other componentarranged before a Abackground emitting minus-blue light, il-

luminating the second mentioned component with blue light, correctingany lack of uniformI transparency in theblue positive by supcrposing ayellow transparent corresponding positive, and exposing the negative'.5. The method ofv producing a composite photograph, that includes makinga trans-l `parent image of one of the components in -a suitable color,illuminating another component rvith` light of substantially the colorofsaid transparent image, illuminating the remainder of the transparentimage, exceptying that part through which the second component is beingphotographed, with light of a substantially complementary color, andexposing a fresh actinic surface to the second 'component throughIthetransparent image and through a. tranl'sparentineg'ative of thetransparent image, said transparent nega-tive being of a' color thatpasses partially the lights of both illuminations, and said actinicsurface being sensitive to the light of both illuminations.

exposureA a composite photograph embodying two component parts, thatincludes exposingl a fresh actinicvsurfaces to one component,illuminated by light of a .selected color, through a transparent coloredimage .of the other (component,` the color of said` transparent imagebeing such as will pass the colored light from said color illuminatedcomponent, the 'said coloredtransparent imagegbeing illuminate Vduringsaid exposure With light of a color substantially comple- 6. The methodof producing at a single y y mentary to its 'own color, and the actinicsurface being sensitive to light\of both said colors. )s

7. The method of producing a composite photograph embodying twocomponent parts, that includesk making a transparent image of one of thecomponents in a, sui-table color, illuminating another component withlight of substantially the color ofsaid transparent image,illuminatingjthe transparent imagegwith light of a substantiallycomple-` mentary color, said second mentioned com-f ponent being opaqueto the light with which the transparent image is illuminated, and s1-multaneously photographing said transparizo ent image and said secondmentioned component, one in front of the other, onto an actinic surfacesensitive to light of both said colors. In Witness that claim theforegoing I have hereunto subscribed' my name this 8th dayof December,1925.

l f RY J. POMEROY.

